Space Is the Place:
The Lives and Times of Sun Ra

by John F. Szwed

(Pantheon, New York, 475 pages, $29.95)

from Jazz Notes 9/3 1997

It would be a gross understatement to say that the convoluted mystery and
mystique of Sun Ra were as bewitching as - perhaps even more so than - his
sonic explorations and elaborate multi-disciplinary performances. At once a
free-spirited stargazer and a hard-nosed disciplinarian, Sun Ra composed an
enormous body of work that is filled with aesthetical paradoxes. Inviting
and confrontational, brutal and beautiful, ancient and futuristic, his works
have incorporated nearly every stylistic idiom within the jazz spectrum.
But for many, it was the prismatic philosophy that synthesized elements from
the Bible, Egyptology, Black Nationalism, numerology, etymology, and, most
importantly, astronomy that lured and transported them to outer reaches of
their imaginations.

In John Szwed's magnificent biography Space Is The Place, the musical
magic and the mesmerizing mythos are unveiled with acute clarity and
tremendous respect as it chronicles the life of a young, reclusive musician
from Birmingham, Alabama, to his formative years in Chicago to his explosive
heyday in New York, Philadelphia,and California. Drawing from interviews of
band members, other musicians, jazz scholars, and numerous tapes, Szwed
successfully de-mystifies Sun Ra to reveal a man who was extremely well read
and socially aware.

Yes, the bizarre eccentricities are also examined with microscopic
intensity, for example, the mind-boggling teachings, the draining
rehearsals, the eyebrow-raising payment methods, and the wacky disciplinary
and punishment procedures. But what elevates this biography above the heap
of melodramatic pulp nonfiction is Szwed's meticulous research and analysis
of the heady philosophies which obscured the biographical history of Sun Ra.
His incorporation of socio-political history and philosophical analysis in a
descriptive and detail-enriched framework is relentlessly captivating.
Highly informative, evenly paced, and wonderfully engrossing, Szwed's
biography of one of jazz's most beloved, yet difficult, figures is one of
the best reads of the year.

The recent loss of long-time Sun Ra drummer Samuri Celestial (only 42) has been felt throughout the Jazz community. A musical tribute to Samuri is scheduled to be held in his hometown (Savannah Ga) later this month. As one who was lucky enough to observe his great talent close-up on gigs with him in Savannah, I sincerly hope word of this tribute will not go unnoticed by the jazz press; Samuri deserves the attention. His early demise is truly a great loss. For more info please contact john at prophy7@aol.com